Moving Foward

Next week I will be starting my first work placement. I'm excited to be going and gaining all the experiences the job has to offer. This will be my first job experience working in the field of communications. I've been studying creative communications for a year and a half now and I couldn't be more excited to put the skills I've learned to use.

I want to thank all of my instructors who have helped me and pushed me to be better than myself. I appreciate all that you all have done for me.

I know some people who are not willing to get job experience unless it's paid. The problem with that is that without experience you can't get a job. So take the experience where you can. Paid or not. There is always room to learn and expand your skills.

So don't sit back and wait for the "right" job to come to you. Go out and get the experience to better prepare you for the job you want an deserve.

It Only Takes 1 Hour To Save A Life

If you had the opportunity to save someone's life, would you?

Approximately every minute of everyday, someone in Canada needs blood. In fact, according to a recent poll, 52% of Canadians say they, or a family member, have needed blood or blood products for surgery or for medical treatment.



Donating blood is, in my opinion, one of the greatest random acts of kindness a person can do. When a person donates blood, they don't know who they are helping or why that person needs their blood. All the donor knows is that they are doing something that is helping to save a life.

Again I ask, if you had the opportunity to save someone's life, would you? Would you take that hour out of your day?

For more information on how you can save a life please visit Canadian Blood Services or call 1-888-2-DONATE to book an appointment.

Is Life Getting In The Way?

Courtesy of Google

Life. It has this amazing way of getting in your way when you need to get things done. Life just happens and there's not much we can do about it.

Over the past few weeks it has felt almost impossible to stay in control. Not only was there my school work to worry about, there were the things going on in my everyday life that felt too hard to handle.

I wanted to just give up. Say goodbye to everything and just not deal with it any more.

That would be ok right?

Would any one really care?

Life can get overwhelming most of the time. I think of it as a test. A test that takes us to the limits, but proves that we will not go over the edge.  That our limits are limitless.  That it's possible for us to do anything that we set our minds to.




This does not mean that we will not struggle.  That struggle is a part of life. The life we want to so easily give up on sometimes or ask for a do over.  Sadly there are no do overs in life. We make a mistake and it's up to us to fix it and learn from it.

Courtesy of Google

If only real life was as easy as "The Game of Life."

But the truth is, real life is hard and we need to work hard for everything we do. We can't just expect someone to make life easy for us.

So Take A Moment to step back and consider what life is really throwing at you. "Everything happens for a reason" right?

Give Back

Today I visited Siloam Mission for a group class assignment.  My group and I were given a tour of the building and got to see first hand what Siloam Mission has to offer its patrons.

It was amazing to see everything they do to help those in need.  I never knew that Siloam Mission gave its patrons clothing and toiletries, or that they have a donated weight room for physical rehabilitation, or that they help their patrons make a resume to help them find a job.  i always thought of Siloam Mission as a place for people to sleep and get a healthy meal.

I feel pretty naive having not known this before. But I'm sure I'm not alone.

Siloam Mission is always looking for volunteers and donations.  Siloam Mission accepts clothing, bedding, toiletries, shoes, and much more as donations.  These donations help to better serve their patrons and Siloam Mission's mission.

So Take A Moment to help out. Volunteer your time, or donate your gently used items to an organization that could put them to good use.  Not only will you be doing a good deed, you'll be helping to make someone's life better.

Making the Difference

Courtesy of Google

At one point this is what we all thought bullying was. That it would never grow from this.  Bullying used to be something parents could handle and help their kids through.

Sadly this isn't the case.  Whether you're the one being bullied or the parent who's child is being bullied, you all feel alone, isolated.

When bullying took to social media, it felt like there was no escape.  You were constantly trapped by the negativity, harassment, and the photos and videos.  There was no way to shut it off.

Courtesy of Google

The disappointing truth is that it took the losing of someone's life before cyberbullying was taken seriously. 

After the untimely death of Amanda Todd, the Canadian Government set out to pass Bill 18. Yesterday, October 10, 2013, Bill 18 passed as a law in Manitoba.

It's sad to think about the world we live in today, were a law against bullying needs to be passed.  To me it should be common sense that intentionally hurting someone is wrong. Yet, there are so many people who thrive off of the tormenting of others.

I would like all my readers to Take A Moment out of their day, everyday, and be kind to someone.  You just might save their life.

Opportunity Knocks More Than Once

Opportunity, I've heard time and time again that it only comes but once in a lifetime.

I've come to learn that this isn't true.

Opportunity comes when you least expect it and when you need it most.

Through the Creative Communications program, I've been given the greatest opportunity I could ever ask for.

I'm being given the opportunity to learn.  The opportunity to gain experience.  But most importantly, I'm being given the opportunity to grow.  I couldn't be more thankful for the strength and courage this program has given me.

Sure I may get frustrated by it and feel as though giving up may be the best thing. But then I stop and think about where I was just a year ago to where I am now.  It's something that I'll never take for granted.

So Take A Moment to appreciate ALL the opportunities that life has given you.  Believe me, you've been given more than one.

Never Gone

Yesterday was my Nonno's birthday.  He would've been 79 years old. My Nonno passed away on June 9, 2013 from cancer.

I miss my Nonno every day.

Yesterday felt like saying goodbye all over again.  I know that he is in a better place now and that the pain has finally stopped, I still wish that he was here with his family.

There is still so much that he had yet to see his family accomplish, but I know that he is still watching over us.

I cherish every memory that I have of you Nonno.  I just want you to know that to me and you're family you are Never Gone.

Love, Bella

Try Dancing...Or Whatever It Is You Want To Do

Last night I was watching the premiere of Dancing With The Stars and I noticed the reoccurring theme from this seasons cast.

During each of there interviews, the cast all mentioned how they wanted to do something that scared them, or something new, or something they never had the chance to do.

It got me thinking that not a lot of people are given the opportunity to do the things they always wanted to, or they're to afraid to put themselves out there.

So it got me thinking about the things I've always wanted to do and the things I'm too afraid to do.  Let's just say my fingers don't count high enough. I do have to admit that right now isn't the greatest time to do the things I want to do.  Being in school does take priority.  But once school is done, I'm not going to let myself hold me back any more.

The truth is, we're our own worst enemies.  Only we can tell ourselves no.  So Take A Moment to say yes to the things you want to do in Your Life.  You'll be happier for it :)

What to Write??

Writing, the simple action of putting pen to paper and the forming of simple yet magical words when put together.

Sounds simple right?

Not so much.  Not when the writing is personal, when the words come from deep within your soul.

Since I was 11, I feel in love with the written word and the stories that could be told.  I wanted to be able to do that too.

So my journey began to becoming a published author.  I began writing short stories and fan fiction.  Anything that I could think of I would write.

But like any writer, I have had my set backs.  I have had writers block, the lack of motivation, and worst of all the lack of a big idea!

A few years ago my big idea came. Through inspirations from Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, and The Covenant, I knew what I was going to write.

So what's the problem?

I'm back to having writers block. I've got my ideas, though they may be small, I know what I want to write.  I just need to write.

I'm now working on giving myself smaller writing goals.  The plan is just to write. Write my small ideas and hopefully they will form into bigger ideas.

I'm taking a page out of my own book and I'm Taking A Moment to write.

So Little Time

Ever feel like your life is spiraling out of control?

Or that there is just never enough time to get everything done or figure everything out?

With everything going on in our day to day lives, it's hard to know where to begin and where it all ends. This unknown can make you feel helpless and scared.

It's a dark place the unknown, it can feel like the world has swallowed you whole and there's no way to get back out.  What's worse is when you don't want to get out.  When staying in the dark begins to feel comforting.

I'm in my final year of CreComm, which means it's time to get my life in order.  We have to pick our work-placements soon which got me thinking, am I doing what I really want to be doing? Have I made the right decisions in my life? Have I just been wasting my time? Can I do this?

I felt like I was having a panic attack as I watched my life spiral out of control. I don't know if I'm ready to do this.

I felt like giving up.

Quit before life got too out of control.

That's when my mom had a very helpful talk with me.  She told me that it's ok to be scared.  That she was happy I was scared because it meant that I cared about what I was doing with my life and that I wanted to make the best of it.

Sometimes, when life feels like it's spiraling out of control, it's ok to reach out and let someone know how you're feeling.

I guess the saying "mother knows best" is true.  I'm glad that my mom was there for me when I needed that much needed advice.

So Take A Moment to breath. Even if life may seem like it's spiraling out of control, it's really just trying to keep up with you.

Back To School

It's that time of year again, when students say goodbye to the summer sun and fun and head back to the classroom.  

For most students that means going shopping for new clothes and school supplies. However, not all students can afford new school supplies.  That  a simple notebook, pencil, ruler, glue stick, pen, etc., are just too expensive for a family to give their child.

That is why most families rely on the help of donations to give their child the school supplies they need to make it through school.

For eight years, Staples Canada has been working with various charities across Canada to provide kids with the necessary school supplies.  

Staples Canada is for Students
The Staples for Students Annual School Supply Drive is back! Over the years, the supply drive has generated over $6.3-million dollars for schools, non-profit organizations and community groups. The campaign is designed to help local students in need go back to school with the essential school supplies. Every year, the School Supply Drive helps thousands of Canadian students.

A survey of Canadian teachers we recently conducted with Vision Critical found that one third of students will start their school year without the basic supplies and poverty is the number one reason they don't have what they need. Together, we can help!

The Staples for Students runs from July 27th to September 9th collecting donations. During this time, people can make their donations at the cash register.

Here is a link to which charities and non-profits your supplies will go to: http://www.staples.ca/sbdca/en_CA/cre/marketing/staples_soul/images/staplesforstudents_partners.pdf

It's not to late to Take A Moment to help out a child by making a donation and helping to provide them with a better education.

Music = Life

Music, it has the ability to help us through the toughest times in our lives.  Sometimes just taking a moment to sit and listen to that one song (or songs) can make everything better.

There are certain songs that I like to listen to when I'm feeling down that help me to feel better.  I look for songs where the lyrics speak to me and the situation that I'm going through.

In my Media Production TV class, we were given the assignment to shoot a montage set to music. I had no idea for the longest time what I was going to or what song I was going to use. I thought this was going to take me forever and that I was never going to get it done.

Then one night, when I wasn't in the happiest of moods, I put on Hedley's cd Storms.  Their song Heaven's Gonna Wait came on and the lyrics told this beautiful, yet sad story.  This vision came to me as the story played out.

I had my idea for my montage.

The actual filming was a little difficult, having never done anything like this before.  The over all experience was a lot of fun.

Music is a beautiful, creative medium that transcends all generations. Different genres speak to different people and builds a connections.  So Take A Moment to find that song that speaks to you and tells you its story and let it come to life.  As long as there is music, there is life.

A Little Creativity

Creativity Google Image

Creativity, it's in all of us.  It's just a matter of Taking A Moment to let it out.

There once was a time where I couldn't stop being creative.  I found this fulfilling joy in writing.  I loved to write stories and lyrics.  Thoughts would come to me that I couldn't wait to write down.

I never knew where these random thoughts came from, they would just come to me.

This creativity however slowly began to wane.  Over the past year or so I have struggled with my creativity.  Almost as if it had disappeared completely.

I feel empty without it.  Like a part of me is missing.  I try to write, but the thoughts don't come like they used to.  I'm not entirely sure why this has happened.  I miss it desperately.

My IPP (Independent Professional Project) that I am doing for school is all about creativity.  I've chosen to write my novel that I have been terrified to write.  Maybe terrified is the wrong word, more like nervous.  Nervous that it wont be any good and that I'll fail at my dream to become a published author.

This has been my dream since I first read Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone. The words written by J.K. Rowling captivated me and ever since then I wanted to be a writer.

Yet here I am, unsure of my creativity. Stuck in this inability to write.

I'm hoping that this IPP will be the push I need to be creative again and find that missing piece in me.

We all have the ability to be creative. It's about Taking That Moment to no longer be afraid and to just try.

I have, what I call an honour, to listen to this band that two of my fellow CreCommers are in.  Seeing that depth and the creativity flow within the room lit a spark in me to try again. To push myself to do the thing that I love.  I have a voice and I need to stop being afraid to let it be heard.

So Take A Moment to find the one thing that you love, that you are passionate about, and just go for it. Don't let fear of failure hold you back.

Little Successes

Life is filled with many obstacles but even more successes.

It's important to take a moment and reflect on those successes.

Yesterday was one of those days.

From the beginning of this semester, way back in January, I have been working on my magazine for a school group project.

This project has taken up a lot of my time, as well as my fellow CreCommers.  Through writing feature articles and proposals, creating ads, and designing the layout of the 24 page magazine (or more for some other groups), you begin to wonder if it's even worth it.

The long struggle can keep you from ever seeing the final end result.  But when you get there, you can't help but feel a huge sense of accomplishment.

Yesterday was the CreComm magazine fair.  Each magazine had to create a booth that would not only show case the magazine but would also create a buzz that would have people wanting to check out your booth.

Everyone came up with great/interesting ideas for their magazines.

My group created a dance magazine called footwork, a magazine for the Manitoba dance community.  Our booth featured the wii game Just Dance.  We would have students, parents, and any one else who came to our booth, dance to enter in to win our prize pack.

After the magazine fair, I felt this huge weight come off my shoulders.  It felt so good to see how the magazine project came to an end.

Even though life comes with its obstacles, struggles, and stresses, it's important to Take A Moment to realize that even though life can be tough, it's important to know that success is soon to follow, and it feels so good when it does :)

Sunday, March 10, 2013

Sunday, March 10 was one of the hardest and most painful days of my life.  I woke up in the morning feeling like something was blocking my throat.  I didn't think much of it at the time.  The weather still isn't the greatest and it's still pretty dry in the house.  So I persisted to cough to try and get rid of the obstruction.  By lunch, I still wasn't feeling any better.  I couldn't eat, not having much of an appetite and because I started feeling this pain in my throat every time I tried to swallow.  I figured I must be getting sick.  I went downstairs and made myself some tea in hopes to get something into me.  Even that became a struggle.  As I sat on my bed, attempting to focus on homework while my head felt miles away, I struggled every time I had to swallow, it felt like something was burning at my throat.  Eventually I gave up trying to complete my homework and went downstairs to lie down on the couch and talk to my mom.  My mom brought me some Sprite to drink, thinking it would help since I clearly had a cold or the flu.  After one sip my throat erupted into excruciating pain.  My throat felt completely closed off. I couldn't talk, I couldn't breath.  I was in a panic.

My mom asked me if I wanted to go see a doctor.  I however couldn't find a way to respond.  I kept gasping each time I opened my mouth to speak.  Tears were streaming down my face.  I grabbed my cell phone and texted my mom that I needed help.  It was the only way I could communicate with her.  We tried looking up Walk In Clinics that would be open late on Sunday nights.  We found one, however when we got their they told us they had just closed up for the night since the only doctor on call had seen his last patient and had left for the day.  Not knowing what to do my mom asked me if I wanted to go to the Hospital.  At this point I was able to speak again though in a very raspy voice.  My  mom took me to the Misericordia Hospital.  After seeing the triage nurse and being told I had to stay to see a doctor due to my high fever, I spent four painful hours in the waiting room.

My dad arrived after I had given five samples of blood, one or two of those samples was for blood cultures. There's a reason why you should never give blood if you've had little to eat or drink.  I felt dizzy, tired, nauseous, cold, but most of all I felt pain.  My back was aching by this point.  My dad sat there and rubbed my back as a searing pain shot through the left side of my back.  All I wanted was to sleep and for the pain in my throat and back to go away.

By 11:10 p.m. I was finally able to see a doctor.  Since I came in with a swollen/sore throat and a fever, it's hard to diagnose what the problem really is.  My vitals were checked again and the doctor attempted to look down my throat.  Based off of what could be seen, I had a throat infection plain and simple.  To leave the Hospital and not spend the night I had to force down 3 Tylenol and 3 Penicillin.  I managed to get down all the pills with plenty of ice cold water.  By midnight I was back home and in bed.

Being in the hospital, in the shape that I was, made me think about the people I care about.  I was so scared, not knowing what was going on with my body.  All I could think about were the people I wanted there with me.  The people I love and care about.  Sure family, friends, boyfriends/girlfriends fight overtime, but in the end we love them and care for them.  In the time that I was in the hospital it didn't matter what was going on in my life or who I was mad at, all I wanted was the people I care about to be with me.

So I encourage everyone to Take A Moment and think about the people you care about most and tell them that you care, you may not always get the chance.

AdWords Assignment

For an assignment in Advertising class, we had to come up with 5 AdWords ads about our blogs.

They follow the template of:

25 characters (max)
35 characters (max)
35 characters (max)
URL: 1024 characters (max)

Here are the AdWords I came up with:

Take A Moment

To Live Life To The Fullest

And To Never Back Down

http://amandalynnmoments.blogspot.ca/

We All Need A Moment

To Realize The Important Things

To Seize The Day, Each Opportunity

http://amandalynnmoments.blogspot.ca/

Have You Taken A Moment

To Think About Your And Who You Are

What It Is That Makes You Happy

http://amandalynnmoments.blogspot.ca/

Did You Take A Moment

To Put Yourself Out There

To Try Something New, To Begin Again

http://amandalynnmoments.blogspot.ca/

Take A Moment

To Spend Time With Your Friends

To Be With People Who Care About You

http://amandalynnmoments.blogspot.ca/

So Take A Moment and tell me what you think of these AdWords.

A Thousand Farewells

A Thousand Farewells by Nahlah Ayed is a non-fiction book about Nahlah's life growing up in Winnipeg, her parents moving her back to Amman Jordan to a refugee camp to better connect her with her Palestine roots, to becoming a journalist.

I'm the type of person who loves to read.  My books oh choice are of the fantasy genre.  This is the first time that I've read a non-fiction novel that chronicles someones life.

What I liked about this book was the way Ayed painted a picture of every moment that took place.  It was easy to feel that I was there with her, seeing what she was seeing.

Even though she was able to tell her story so vividly, her book was very hard to follow. Most of her story jumped around from place to place, time to time.  Just when I thought I knew where I was, Ayed would jump to another location and time. 

The events that have taken  place in the Middle East, it's difficult for any one to be able to follow.  I believe that Ayed did her best to keep her story moving in a chronological fashion that would make sense for those reading her book.

Journalists can learn from this book that knowing your surroundings when traveling to a foreign country can be very helpful.  Knowing the language helped Ayed while in the Middle East.  She was able to understand what was going on, which was a huge advantage to her.  Journalists can also learn that they need to grow a thick skin.  Even after Ayed had been beaten in a mob, she still continued to go back and do her job.  If I was her I don't think I could go back after that.

Reading this book, I think, affected me in a different way than some of the others who read this book.  Knowing someone who has served over in the Middle East, who has seen what Ayed has described in her book, made me feel what she saw.  I felt connected to her words.  I also felt terrified. It scares me to think about what my friend has gone through.  To read it, that was very different. 

Valentine's Day With Friends

Happy Valentine's Day.

Though for most people, this may not be the 'happy' day it's supposed to be.

Valentine's day comes with a lot of stress.

I'm not talking about the stress guys feel about having to shop for a gift, or the over priced roses.

I'm talking about the stress the single population feels on this day of love.  It's easy to feel inadequate, and question why you're not with someone.  It's a pressure that needs not to exist.  Valentine's day shouldn't just be about showing/giving love one day a year. Instead it should act as a reminder that we need to show/give love everyday of the year.

I'm sure most of you might think I'm being ridiculous.  But I stand by my opinion.  I've only spent Valentine's day with a boyfriend twice in my life. Both times didn't exactly go the way I had hoped.  I'll admit I'm still hopeful for the Valentine's day that I'll feel was special and spent with the right guy.  Until that time comes, I'm not about to sit around crying about it, or forcing some guy to spend it with me when I know it's not right.

I almost spent this years Valentine's day with the wrong guy.  I briefly began seeing this guy at the end of January.  I thought he was this really sweet and caring guy (I'm sure he still is). Turns out, he's also a bit of a coward.  This past Sunday, he decides that maybe we're not right for each other. I'll admit we had our differences, but since when is that a bad thing? The point is, he wanted to end things but couldn't come right out and say it.  I had to end things for him, even though I didn't want to.  At least not yet.

I put a lot of hope in this guy when I shouldn't have.  Why, because I didn't want to be alone on Valentine's day.  I wanted to have the Valentine's day that I've been hoping for.  Now that this day is done, I'm glad that I didn't spend today with a guy I wasn't meant to be with.

Instead I spent today with three of my amazing girlfriends.  We went to Boston Pizza for heart shaped pizza, and I had a really great time just with my girls.

Valentine's day to me is about spending time with loved ones.  So if you're single one Valentine's day, Take A Moment to tell yourself that it's not a big deal, that it's just another day.  If that doesn't work, grab your girls and spend Valentine's day with them, since they're the ones who will love you no matter what.

Try it once before you say no

As I mentioned in my blog two weeks ago, I'm working on trying new things and opening myself up to, well, life.

I recently started seeing this guy, who is beyond sweet to me and makes me feel really good about myself.  He's a country boy (not the I'm into country music, but the I live outside the Perimeter kind of country boy).  He's into what I like to call the "rough n' tough"guy stuff.  He likes to go quading, snowmobiling, and shoot guns, among other things I'm sure.

He decided last weekend that he was going to take me out snowmobiling.  I was skeptical at first, having never been snowmobiling before.  But I told myself I would give it a try.  He was even sweet enough to lend me ski pants (that were too big for me but did the job) and a helmet. For the most part I enjoyed the experience.  I think it would have been better if he didn't go so fast and it wasn't ridiculously cold out (I'm not one for -40 weather).

I didn't scream in fear as he was hoping I would.  I sat at the front of the snowmobile as he stood behind me steering.  I just sat back and enjoyed the bumpy ride and the flying through the air.  Ok maybe not the flying part, that did scare me.  But I'm glad I went for the ride.

I came out of the experience virtually unscathed, only minor bruising on my knees.  I'm glad that I didn't say no to the experience.  It was worth the opportunity to say "I tried that".  I may not do it again, but at least I put myself out there.

Even though you may be scared to try something new, Take A Moment to try it anyways.  You just might enjoy the experience.

Google Image

       

"The Waiting Room"

The Waiting Room

Directed by Peter Nicks

81mins

“America's controversial health care system is broken and nowhere is it more evident than in The Waiting Room. This composite 24-hour period at Highland Hospital in Oakland, one of the nation's busiest emergency rooms, offers a raw, 
intimate, and even uplifting look at how patients, staff and caregivers each cope with disease, bureaucracy and choices.” 

(http://www.winnipegfilmgroup.com/cinematheque/the_waiting_room.aspx)

Waiting: NOUN: The action of staying where one is or delaying action until a particular time or until something else happens.

This is what the patients at Highland Hospital in Oakland, CA experience on a delay basis.  People of all walks of life, with different injuries and illnesses came through the doors of Highland Hospital and waited their turn to be seen by the doctors.

The documentary showed what Highland Hospital experiences in a 24-hour period (the film was shot over a five day period and edited).  Many people come to wait in the waiting room to see a doctor because they can’t afford to have or to see a family doctor because they don’t have health insurance.

What made this documentary so touching was that all the interviews took place in the hospital.  Not once where the people speaking taken out of the hospital and sat down in a chair to tell their story.  They just spoke as though the camera wasn’t there.  Each new story that was introduced to show how broken the American Health Care System is, was touching.  There were a couple of moments where I found myself starting to tear up over their stories.

Throughout the documentary, there was no reliance on inserted sound (i.e. mood music) to force added emotion.  It wasn’t needed.  Instead the only sound that could be heard were the natural sounds of the hospital.

With everything go on in the hospital, the various amounts of patients coming in needing to see doctors, it would be hard for anyone to stay positive.  This is not the case for Cynthia Y. Johnson, a Certified Nurse Assistant.  Before a patient would go and see a doctor, they would go and see Cynthia.  Which was probably a good thing.  No matter what came her way, Cynthia was able to put a smile on every ones face with her infectious personality.

Canada vs. United States

“Canada's national health insurance program, often referred to as "Medicare", is designed to ensure that all residents have reasonable access to medically necessary hospital and physician services, on a prepaid basis. Instead of having a single national plan, we have a national program that is composed of 13 interlocking provincial and territorial health insurance plans, all of which share certain common features and basic standards of coverage.” (1)

Canadian citizens are lucky when it comes to healthcare.  Our healthcare is public, the government funds it so we don’t pay many medical bills, and most care is covered.  However we still pay for glasses/contacts, and prescription drugs.

In the United States, as shown in “The Waiting Room”, healthcare is hard to come by.  Not many people are able to afford the coverage and therefore are unable to be treated for their illnesses or injuries.

“More than 47 million people in the United States do not have health insurance and about 9 million of them are children. Over 40 million people a year do not get medical care when they need it, even if insured, because they can’t afford it. More than 8 out of 10 uninsured people are from working families. Thousands of deaths every year are attributed to lack of health insurance.” (2)

As I said, I consider Canadians to be lucky in the since that we don’t have to worry about healthcare the way Americans do.  However, when it comes to the waiting room, we are very similar.  Everyone who arrives at the hospital sits and waits their turn on the ever-rotating list of priority.  Instead of focusing on costs of insurance, maybe it’s time our governments looked at the hospital wait times and find a way to improve that.

(1) http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/hcs-sss/medi-assur/index-eng.php

(2) http://www.healthpaconline.net/health-care-issues.htm

Feel Stuck To Feeling Free

It's not uncommon for people to become so comfortable (or uncomfortable) with their lives that they feel they're in a rut.  Stuck in a routine that they are no longer happy with.  So unsure of how to move on and enjoy life again.

But how do we get ourselves out of these so called "ruts".

The first step is to realize that you're in a rut.  It took me almost a year to realize that I was even in one.  Now I'm not one to normally make New Years resolutions, but I decided to this year.  I have to admit that if it weren't for making this resolution, I probably wouldn't have even known that I was in a rut.

Now that I have realized that I am in a rut, I've decided to do something about it.  I'm tired of letting life pass me by and feeling like I'm not the one in control.  I was following one pattern thinking that it would make me happy.  Turns out it was more of just a bitter distraction from reality.

So to take control of my life and face the reality of it all.  I've decided to try something new, something that I never thought I could do.  This new activity came from my magazine article that I'm writing for school.

This new activity is Aerial Acrobatics.  I've only been once as part of my research, but I plan to continue going even after the assignment is done (if they'll let me).  I had the opportunity to try a few minor tricks on the silk ribbons.  It was exhilarating to say the list.  It made me feel free.  What was even better was getting to watch the acrobatics.  The way the moved was a thing of beauty.  I was in awe the whole time.  Watching them made me feel alive again.  They looked like they felt free.  A feeling that I would like to feel again.

So I recommend to you to Take A Moment to try something new.  Something that will make you feel free and alive again.

Courtesy of Sara Shyiak

'I Almost Do'

We all have that song, that one song that makes us stop and think about our lives and the people that were in it.

For me, it’s usually a Taylor Swift song.  Currently my song on repeat is ‘I Almost Do.’  This song is about losing love and wondering if you can ever get it back.

I listen to this song and I wonder about my ex.  I wonder if he still thinks about me, if he misses me the way I still miss him.

This got me thinking about all the things that were left unsaid.   How I never got the chance to ask him why, to tell him how I felt, how I feel now.

I was left so confused after he broke up with me.  I never saw it coming the way it did.  I thought we had something special.  I thought he was the one that we were going to be together forever.  I was very wrong.

Back in December I saw him while I was out for lunch with some friends from school.  I was shocked to see him.  It had been months since I last saw him or spoke to him.  All I felt was pain and additional heartbreak.  I didn’t say a word to him but I wish I did.

Break ups are never easy; they’re even harder to get over.  Listening to ‘I Almost Do’ made me realize that I need to face the pain that I feel.  I can no longer run from it. 

It’s important to realize that things in life end for a reason and it’s better to just let them go than to hang onto them.  Even though I know he will never come back into my life, that I probably will never run into him again like that, I need to let him go.  I need to realize that he isn’t worth

The pain,

The tears,

The fear. 

You can’t go living life being afraid to let someone in.  It just makes life more unbearable, and lonely. 

It’s time to finally take that moment to see that shutting myself out is letting him win.  Win this sad game.  The truth is he probably doesn’t care because if he did, I would hear from him.

This goes to everyone who has ever had their heart broken.  Take the time to heal, but don’t shut yourself out.  You’ll just feel lonely and miss out on opportunities to meet someone new.  Holding onto someone who doesn’t want to be there isn’t worth your time.

So Take A Moment to think about yourself and what you need and let go of him, because he’s not worth your pain.

Carpe Diem

Life is a funny thing. It gives and it takes.  Each day we carry on, paying it no mind.

But what would happen if we did pay attention to everything around us.  To the sights and sounds, to the people and our relationships with them.  Would we begin to care more.  Take the time to live our life with no regret?

Would life be different if we toke each given moment to live it like it were our last? Each day is a new opportunity to make life better and yet we hold back.  Why?  Is it out of fear, fear of failure, fear of never being good enough?

To live life this way is to not live at all.  Standing in the shadows.  Never trying to...well...try.  Life is full of opportunities to make our lives better.  To do something that we have never done before.  I'm not saying that this is easy, I'm just saying that it's worth it.

I pose this challenge.  Take the time to make a change in your life and stick with it.  I'm making a change in my life that I hope will make me happier.  I hope this challenge will do the same for you.

Have you taken a moment today?

Take A Moment

I'm taking this opportunity to change up my blog.  I figured what a perfect opportunity to start blogging about the little things that happen around us in our everyday lives that either go unnoticed or we take for granted.  It's important to take the time to notice the good that goes on in our lives.

Taking a moment to "smell the roses" / "carpe diem (seize the day)", is a perfect way to just live life with no regrets.

Have you taken a moment today??